Big Surprise
by Kasupop
Summary: There are three things you should know about me. Three being I have been seeing the same girl in my dreams for five years, and I think she's somehow connected to Yuko... But I'm not sure HOW exactly. Full Summary inside. GrayxOC. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

** Summary: There are three things you should know. One; I hate that stupid jeweller, Yuko, with a bloody passion. Two; I keep getting into... Awkward situations that involve her. Three; I've been seeing the same girl in my dreams for five years, and I think she's somehow connected to Yuko... I can't put my finger on HOW they're connected though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters in any way, but Yuko is mine.**

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"_Do you want to play?" she asked, a faint smile as she held out a pale hand._

"_Who are you?" I questioned back, yet I walked over and took her small hand, allowing her to lead me toward a wide meadow, where the grass was the brightest of greens, and flowers of every colour scattered throughout the tree-lined opening._

_She just smiled at me, the same response she always gave when I asked the so-familiar question. I watched her, as a child may watch a flower, waiting it to bloom, waiting for any sign she would tell me her name. The girl was only a child, but then again, I seemed to be as well; her hair was the whitest of white, and her eyes clearer and greener than any emerald. She was dressed in a frilly pale green and white dress, its design any porcelain doll would be envious of. "Let's dance," she said finally, stopping in the middle of the meadow to turn to me. She took my right hand and placed it on her left hip, holding my left hand in her right._

_We danced in silence, my eyes glued to the ground as to make sure I wouldn't step on her feet by accident, but every now and then I would glance up to see her smiling at me._

_In the distance, a clock tower bonged three times, alerting to all it was three in the afternoon. Our dance stopped abruptly as she stepped back and curtsied, obviously something that was more instinct rather than a practiced action. "I must get back now. I'm already late for afternoon tea with Mama." The girl smiled and turned, running towards the forest at a speed one wouldn't expect from a child so petite._

"_Wait!" I called and started after her. She didn't slow her pace, but rather quickened it, trying to get me off her trail, but my long legs gave me the advantage. In a few moments time, I was able to take hold of her wrist, causing her to yelp and stumble back a few steps. "Please, what is your name?" I tried again, hoping for an answer this time 'round._

_The girl wouldn't do so much as look at me, keeping her face straight ahead. "I must get back now. If I'm late, Mama will surely scold me."_

"_Just tell me your name!" I begged, tightening my grip on her arm._

_She looked back for a moment, smiled, and I glanced down at my hand when I felt the sudden dissappearance of her wrist. I looked up just in time to see her vanish into a black, smokey mist, almost like ash. I whipped my head around, looking for her, trying to find a sign of where she went. But rather than a sign of where she went, I looked around to see the meadow get eaten by darkness, every blade of grass and every flower petal turning into the same ash that the girl had become in mere seconds._

I opened my eyes, just to stare up at the familiar ceiling of my room in the Inn. No meadow, no grass and flowers, no girl, no ash beside me. It was a dream.

A dream I've been having every night for the last five years.

Well, not exactly; each night somewhat varies. Sometimes the girl is just a babe, others, like tonight, a child, sometimes a teenager or adult, and others an old woman. But there're two things in common with each dream; every night it's the same girl, whatever her age, and every night, I'm unable to find out what her name is.

Sitting up on my bed, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, blinking a few times and just sitting there in a daze. I finally yawned and stretched my arms to the sky, shaking off my covers and standing, glancing over at my night side table, and staring at the numbers on my alarm clock for a few moments. I continued looking at the numbers until they made sense. "Crap! I'm late!"

I was practically running around my room, thankful my roommates weren't here to start yelling at me to keep the volume down; Nope, the first one, Kai, was long gone now considering it was late fall, and he only came to town during the summer. And Cliff? Well, he just had to get up early to get to the Winery on time for work every morning, considering he really needed that job if he was to stay in town. By the time I was ready and glancing over at the clock once more, four minutes after I last checked it, I was in my uniform of work boots, tan slacks with a coat to match, along with a navy turtle neck shirt so the bitter cold of the outdoors wouldn't freeze me to death. Grabbing my blue, red and yellow UMA cap, I was out the door and off towards the Blacksmiths, in no rush at all; half way down the stairs, I had realized I was late already, so what difference would a few extra minutes make?

"Gabriel. Elliot. Johnson. Over here. Now."

Yup. Gramps was pissed. Saibara, the actual blacksmith or the town, was my grandfather, mentor, and the reason I would go deaf earlier than anyone else my age.

Sighing, I prepared myself for the worst, rubbing my left temple a moment before walking over to him. "Yes?" I asked, and I could literally hear the annoyance in my own tone. No doubt he would give me a ten minute lecture if I was lucky, but it would likely go on for twenty, maybe thirty minutes. And then he would send me to the bitter mines again to "ponder over my mistakes".

"I want you to go over to the mines today. Bring Yuko with you; she'll keep you in check and make sure you're doing your work. I expect some good copper or silver at the very least," the white-bearded man said, skipping right over the expected daily lecture for the first time in… Well, ever.

In all honestly though, I would rather have him lecture me every hour for the rest of my life than be stuck with… With _her_. With_ Yuko_, of all people. He must have skipped the bloody lecture and made it so I went straight into my bloody punishment. "I would rather go myself," I replied, giving the old man the sharpest glare I could muster before turning and picking up my hammer.

"No. Yuko is going with you, and that's final."

Glaring at the door I was so close to having escaped through, I let out an agitated sigh, putting a death grip on my hammer, imaging how nice it would be to hit Saibara with it. Unfortunately, my sister, Ann, and my dad wouldn't be too impressed if I killed or hurt Mom's last living relative that we knew of.

Walking over to the back of the shop, I banged hard against a door that would lead to Yuko's workplace; she was the jeweler of the island, and Thomas, the damn mayor, decided it would be convenient to place her here in the Smithy's. "Yuko!" I called in utter annoyance, glaring at the back of my grandfather's head. Hearing nothing from inside, I opened the door, to find her fumbling with her newest piece; a necklace from the looks of it.

"Bloody hell Gray, don't scare me like that. And what do you want? I have work to do," she said in annoyance once she got a proper hold on the peice of jewelery, obviously as displeased with talking to me as I was her.

Yuko, the girl who owned a tongue of venom, was a fairly small girl, and one could tell more so when she stood beside Gray; her being five foot six and him standing at a solid six feet. Her hair was black as coal, and hung straight to her lower hips. In contrast to her dark hair, her eyes were a bright sapphire that mirrored the colour of my own eyes, but her eyes were usually set behind a pair of black rimmed glasses that were usually perched upon her nose. Of course, I've heard she only wears them for work purposes, and just doesn't bother to take them off before or after, but who knows?

"Hellooooo?" she said as she stood and waved a hand in front of my face. "Why're you in my office? Does Saibara need me or something?"

Sighing in annoyance for the billionth time, I took my UMA cap off for a moment, running my fingers through my hair, placing my hat back on my head right after. "Gramps said you're to come to the mines with me tod- Why are you grinning like that? "

"Your hair. It really is a reddish-brown," she said in what seemed to be amusement. She really did notice the oddest things about a person. "I've never seen you without your cap on."

I tugged my cap down, mentally cursing myself as I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. Goddess, it was too easy to make me blush… And the fact that the person I hate more than anything in the world was making me blush was ten times worse. "Well stop grinning like that. You're freaking me out. And hurry up, Gramps is gonna get in a mood if we don't leave soon." Well, really, I just wanted to leave already so I could get the ores in the mines faster, and be rid of this treacherous woman.

"Uh, Mister High-and-Mighty, three things; one, don't tell me what to do. Two, I'm the jeweler; I'm not supposed to go to the mines. Especially with a jerk like you. And three, I don't have a hammer." The damn woman stood in position, her arms crossed, obviously unwilling to come. What did she think she was? Superior to me? Yeah, not a chance.

"You leave me no choice then," I said, a smirk cutting across my lips. I took two long strides over to the girl, and before she could get a "What the hell do you think you're doing?" in, I lifted her up and slung her over my shoulder, the way one might carry a sack of potatoes. I picked up my own hammer along with a smaller one for Yuko, a rucksack to put any ores in, and with those in hand, I was off to the mines, a screaming, hitting and kicking woman over my shoulder. Ah, it was always so amazing to piss her off. "For the record, we're going pretty deep into the mines. Considering you're a beginner in mining, you'll most likely pass out. But don't worry; I'll come get you before the coyotes eat you. Maybe."

"Oh really?" she hissed, obviously unimpressed at the fact she was being carried around like an object. I grinned at the thought. "Well you know, I'm a klutz and all, and knowing me, the hammer might just _slip _and hit you on the head when we're there." And with that, I let go of her completely, allowing her to fall to the ground, her shriek piercing my ears as she was air born for a few seconds.

"Whoops. Pardon me. I guess you just_ slipped _from my hands." I dropped her hammer on the ground, causing Yuko to jump slightly, flinch and pull her hands and feet back as if she expected me to drop the tool on her or something. Which would've been a good idea, actually; I should have thought about that beforehand. I'll have to keep it for next time I guess.

I continued walking, and after a few minutes, I heard a lighter echo of my steps, obviously belonging to none other than Yuko. Damn. I was hoping she would turn back after I, uh, _dropped her off_. "You know," I called, eyes glued ahead at the path that wound up a miniature mountain, and that would lead us up to three places; the mines, the Harvest Goddess Spring, and the Hot Springs. It was actually quite convenient having the hot springs so close to the mines; it meant you could soak in the water, relax and regain some lost energy after working in the mines. "If you keep walking behind me like that, people are going to think you're stalking me to the hot springs or something, and watch as I bathe."

"You're calling _me_ the stalker?" she retorted, and I could hear the acting as she tried to sound shocked, "Yet_ you're _the one who follows me home every day!"

"We live in the_ same_ place, and we work at the _same_ place, so we get off work around the _same_ time!" I shot back. I couldn't believe she actually tried saying that I, of all people, was a stalker!"

"You still follow me every day. Even Ann notices!"

"Annabelle is my sister. She doesn't count, since she says that stuff just to embarrass me!" Ug. Why did I have to open my mouth in the first place? Things were so peaceful before… Actually, I should have just ignored Gramps in the first place and left without her; that would make things ten times easier!

"Sure, sure," Yuko replied, jogging to match her pace to mine, allowing me to see the devious smirk on her face. I hadn't even noticed we arrived at the mouth of the cave until she continued, "Well, are you ready then Sweetie Pie?" she asked, only to receive a smack upside the head from me. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Never call me that again," I stated simply, walking over to the Goddess Spring, kneeling on one knee and silently praying that the journey within the mines would be a safe and successful one. This was the one thing I did right before I went into the mines at any time; I refused to go in without praying after Ma died in a freak cave-in when she was on a business trip. Opening my eyes, I glanced over to see Yuko staring at the spring, but something was off… I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, and looked at the woman again, her eyes the same sapphire as I remembered. Humm. I guess I'm seeing things now. I really need to stop listening to Kai's messed up stories that he tells whenever he's in town.

Without another exchange of insults, we went into the mines, and started smashing rocks. Thankfully I had been in the mines a few days prior, allowing me to uncover a few sets of stairs that we were able to walk down with ease. The trail of uncovered stairs stopped at what I counted to be the seventh floor; not too deep down, but at least there would be something decent at this level.

By the time I could hear Yuko's ragged breathe, I had smashed a good twenty stones or so, and uncovered seven copper and two silver. "G-Gray…" she started, causing me to look over, just to see her leaning against her hammer with five broken stones in a circle around her. "Th-this isn't working. I c-can't find… A-anything…"

I picked up my ore and slid it into the rucksack, slipping one of the bags straps over my shoulder, holding my hammer in one hand before I walked over and kneeled down. "You aren't looking hard enough then wimp," I stated easily with a small grin, picking up a gold ore; something rare this high in the mines. I slipped it into my bag and surveyed her other broken rocks, only finding a copper; the other three just had junk ore, which was of no use. "This should be enough to keep Gramps happy enough for today. You better be able to walk up the steps yourself, or I'm leaving you here for whatever is down here to find you," I simply stated with a grin, despite the fact I was one hundred and fifty percent serious.

I watched as she picked up her hammer with shaking arms, and saw her nasty glare sent directly to me before everything went black. Yuko screamed at the sudden loss of light, her voice echoing to who knows how many levels. I heard her move forward rather than see her before feeling her body collide with mine. It only made me step back a few steps, and I was thankfully able to keep my footing. I looked down, despite not being able to see a thing, and smirked when I felt her shaking hands clutching the front of my jacket. "Aww, is little Yuko scared of the dark?" I teased.

"Shut up and get us out of here," her voice replied, as shaky and unstable as the hands that clutched me. I rolled my , forgetting she couldn't see, and started leading her back towards the stairs, knowing where they were from having walked up them many times before. Plus any good miner knows to remember where the exit is in any mine, just in case something like this happened. A sharp growl from the left stopped us both hard in our tracks. "Please tell me that was you."

Usually, I would make some kind of sarcastic comment, but mutely, I just shook my head. Remembering she couldn't see me, I spoke up, "No; I was hoping it was you trying to freak me out… But let's keep going to the stairs," I suggested, nudging her leg with my foot to keep her walking.

The growl sounded again, and something to my left caught my attention; a sound, something moving in the darkness, I don't know what, but something. Looking over, I saw nothing, but Yuko's tensing, stopping and tightening her death grip on my clothes caused me to look forward once more, only to see two red and glowing circles, that oddly resembled the shape of eyes…

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**A/n****: LOOK WHO'S BACK! Well, technically you would know me as Misty121416 if anything, but this is my new account, so yeah xD But sorry for the two to three month absence! There's been a lot of stuff lately keeping me from being able to write my fics Dx Mainly computer-related things, but also the fact I recently moved xD**

**NOW ONTO THE STUFF ABOUT THIS STORY!**

**As some of you may have guessed, **_**Big Surprise**_** is a re-write of the story (on my old account) **_**Yuko's Little Secret**_**, but this is written in first person in Gray's perspective. I've been thinking about making a second story titled **_**Little Lie**_** that would be Yuko's point of view, but it's still undecided whether I'll do that or not. If I get a fair amount of reviewers or if I have a few people who want me to write the second half, I'll write it. One way or another, **_**Big Surprise **_**is my top priority. And man. I was reading the first chapter of YLS while writing this, and even though it's similar, I'm changing the content of this one so much xD Oh well, at least this time around, I have a solid story line for the most part.**

**Anyways, I hope you liked chapter one of Big Surprise! Remember, reviews are always good ;D Ciao for now 3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: There are three things you should know. One; I hate that stupid jeweller, Yuko, with a bloody passion. Two; I keep getting into... Awkward situations that involve her. Three; I've been seeing the same girl in my dreams for five years, and I think she's somehow connected to Yuko... I can't put my finger on HOW they're connected though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters in any way, but Yuko is mine.**

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Subconsciously, I took a step forward and over slightly, to separate the path between the glowing dots and Yuko. Hey, even though I hated her, I wasn't a _complete_ asshole. Well, I was, but not during times like these, at least.

I sharpened my eyes and looking at the floating red dots as they seemed to move closer, getting slightly bigger until they were right in front of me. The dots were about level with my mid-thigh, which allowed me to assume that if they were eyes, they were an animal's; likely, the size of a German Shepard. The red almond-shaped glows seemed to shift up, as if to stare into Yuko and my own eyes. A moment later, I felt the woman behind me quite literally stiffen, and push me out of the way. She knelt down, and the wick of the candle in the lantern only a few feet away burst into a small flame, illuminating the cave.

In all honesty, I kind of wish the place had stayed dark. Then I wouldn't have had to see… _Whatever _it was that was in front of me. It was the size of a dog, like I assumed, and had a similar body structure, but thinner than any dog I've seen for its' size. Then again, I've never seen many dogs. But that isn't the point. The creature had slick black fur, if you could call it that considering the texture was rough like hide, yet scaly as the same time. Rather than triangle-like ears or floppy ears of a dog, this thing had ears (at least, I _think_ they were ears…) that were long and thin as whips. Its tail was pretty much the same set up as the ears.

But what was even weirder than the _thing's_ appearance was that Yuko, the damn woman, had come out from behind me, and starting petting the animal's head, which gave a little "yip" of happiness. The black haired woman just stroked its' fur (if you could even call it that), and grinned as it fell on its' back and started to roll around playfully.

I too was about to kneel down and attempt to pet the animal, but Yuko's arm shot out like a bullet to keep me back. I glared at her in time to see her give me a hard look, and shake her head. Though it's unusual for me to listen to… Well, _anyone_, I straightened up and stepped back, sweeping up the fallen lantern only a moment later. I continued to watch Yuko play with the dog-thing, and was quite curious when she froze and tensed. Only half a moment later, the lantern's flame went out once more, and I felt a hand grab my leg, which (even though I won't admit it to anyone) scared the hell out of me, and made me jump.

It took me a second to realize it, but it was a human hand that was wrapped around my leg, and I could somehow tell it was Yuko's. She clutched onto my clothes and started pulling herself up, feeling her way up my body. Which I wouldn't admit ever, but I couldn't help but blush slightly, since she was… Well, she was feeling me up in a way. I was about to say something, when I felt her slightly calloused hands (from holding the hammer of course) smack over my mouth. She grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me down with her free hand so my ear was level with her mouth.

"Listen to me," she commanded in a sharp, demanding tone, even though it was barely more than a whisper that made me have to strain to hear, "Lead the way to the mine's entrance. And whatever you do, _don't speak_. Trust me." Obviously I was confused as fuck, and I wanted to know what this whole thing was all about, but I had a feeling the damn jeweller wasn't planning on giving me any information in the least.

Keeping my mouth shut, I grabbed her arm, tugging her along behind me and I started towards the first set of stairs, having to feel around a bit to make sure I didn't make us run into any boulders or anything. Actually, I would have lead Yuko into one if she weren't literally walking in my footsteps. I let out a sigh, and had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep a yelp from escaping when Yuko sharply kicked the back of my leg. In most cases, I would have turned around and made some kind of threat and/or comment, but I had a feeling this wasn't the best of times to say anything. And I really didn't need to be kicked again; I'd gotten the point the first time.

Within about ten minutes, we were on the top floor, and the light from the shining moon was coming through. So were about half way to the entrance, and I figured it would be okay to speak. "The moon sure is bright today," I said, taking my hands and lacing my fingers together behind my head. Yuko remained silent, and seemed to get even more tensed than she was before.

"Idiot! Run!" she shouted, a pair of red eyes coming at us from three directions. Without a second thought, I started jumping over the boulders, running towards the exit. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Yuko was coming, which she was. But man oh man; that was the worst move I have ever made. When I looked in front of me, I found myself being midair for a few moments that seemed to be so dramatic and in slow motion or something. I hit the ground, letting out a yelp of pain as the air was batted right out of my lungs. Wheezing, I attempted to catch my breathe a stand up, only to find my efforts futile for the time being. Unfortunately. A pair of those red eyes came close, and I caught a flash of yellowish white fangs of sorts before covering my face with my arms; feeling fear take over my entire body.

I had shut my eyes before the impact, like so many people did when they knew they were about to get hit or kicked. Or, like in my case, tackled. Being prepared for fangs to set into my flesh like I was, I was confused, for lack of a better term, when I felt no impact of any sort. I slit open my eyes the slightest bit, in utter confusion before I saw a flash of dancing charcoal hair. Yuko was practically doing the tango, or something, with the dog, before she snatched a branch from the mine floor, and shoving said branch into the dog-creature's mouth.

With strength that shocked me, having come from Yuko and all, she swung the branch along with the dog to the side before grabbing my arm and yanking me up, running towards the entrance. "Crap…" she hissed, her eyes narrowing. As to why, I was unsure at the time, considering we had made it out of the mine in one piece. When we had hit the fresh air, I breathed in deeply, realizing how musty the air in the mines really were. I grinned and turned to Yuko, briefly realizing a few hours must have gone by, considering it was already dark out with the moon shining brightly, and was going to say a smart-ass comment like always, when I heard a low growl come from behind me.

Yuko immediately moved in front of me, and I could see her give a sharp glare to the weird dog creature that emerged from the mouth of the cave. Even so, I could see her shaking ever so slightly; not too surprising by any means. I would be terrified if I weren't so confused about everything. Of course, when the thing started charging towards us blindly, I grabbed the jeweller by the shoulders and swung her behind me a split second before feeling my arm getting impaled by four long, dagger-like fangs. A scream pierced my ears, and it took me a moment or three to realize it was coming from me. I swung my arm around wildly, having trouble to breathe from the pain that vibrated through my whole body.

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, the thing's jaws loosened, and I was able to throw it off my arm. The thing went rolling for a few seconds before standing, only to be knocked into the Harvest Goddess Spring with a stick that Yuko was swinging around like a baseball bat. I only had a moment to watch the black silk-looking hide of the creature start to screech and wither, then howl and start to bubble and dissolve before I fell to my knees, clutching my arm.

In my own ears, I could hear my short, hyper-ventilating like breaths that came in short gasps, as I couldn't, for some reason, get enough oxygen in my lungs. I heard Yuko's voice demanding something of me, but I was in too much pain to make sense of her words. I felt her yank my arm out towards her, making me scream, before I felt soft lips press against the wound.

And then everything went black.

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**A/n OH MY GOD. I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE! Things have been INSANE since I first wrote chapter one of this! December was busy as hell with Christmas and family over literally EVERY day, and January passed in a flash because of Finals O.e Finally it's February, but I'm busy as ever since I'm part of a play, and I have practice three times a week after school. Plus I'm joining the badminton team at the end of the month… THOUGH I PROMISE TO TRY AND UPDATE FASTER. But really. You have no idea how bad I feel O.e And I know it's SUPER short. I wanted the ending to be (kinda) a cliffy. Sorta. Ish. xD ANYWAYS. I'm working on chapter three RIGHT NOW though! So I'll hopefully have that up by… Saturday night. If things go well xD**

**Once more, I apologize for the wait and pathetic excuse for a chapter! It'll get better soon! … Hopefully.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: There are three things you should know. One; I hate that stupid jeweller, Yuko, with a bloody passion. Two; I keep getting into... Awkward situations that involve her. Three; I've been seeing the same girl in my dreams for five years, and I think she's somehow connected to Yuko... I can't put my finger on HOW they're connected though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters in any way, but Yuko is mine.**

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When I opened my eyes, I winced as a pain shot through from the front of my head to the back. I shut my lids just as quickly as I opened them, throwing my arm over my now throbbing scalp. I muttered and pulled the blanket I was under higher up so it was equivalent to my chin. Of course, when I tried to turn on my side, pain tore through my arm, causing me to give a small yelp. I flipped back onto my back, clutching my arm with my good hand, even though that didn't help in the least; quite the opposite, really. The action probably made things that much worse. I barely heard the shuffle of footsteps nearby, and when I opened my eyes once more, I was staring into dark eyes that belonged to none other than Trent, the local doctor.

Even though it was hard to concentrate on anything other than the pain I was withstanding, I glanced around curtly, noting I was in Mineral Town's excuse for a "hospital". Yeah. Hospital my ass. From having been through here so many times, I could honestly tell you the layout of the building inside out. Down stairs was pretty much one huge room split into three sections; the "waiting room" which was just a few random chairs set up near the second section, being the reception desk. Curtains make up the walls which separate the waiting room from the two sick beds that have things such as IVs set up nearby. Finally, there's Trent's, er, "office"; like the "sick rooms", it's only separated from the rest of the "hospital" by those blue curtains. Upstairs was Trent's home, which he shared with his nurse and wife, Elli. Who, go figure, was on my other side, ever-so-gently prying my fingers from my suffering limb. "Good to see you're finally awake," the Doc said, giving me a small smile; odd, considering he was always so serious and straight faced.

It took a few moments for his words to register, before I gave him a quizzical look. "Wait. How long have I been out?" After all, he had said "finally" in his statement. Any normal person would then wonder how long they were in the land of dreams, milk and cookies. Well, if they had even caught such a small thing. Though when you're a blacksmith like myself, you tend to pay attention to the littlest things; sometimes they can prove to be the most useful.

"You've been out for two weeks," Elli stated in a kind tone, though I could hear the relief in her voice. That I was awake, most likely; I assumed they thought I was going to die. Of course, it took a while for the nurse's words to click, and when they finally did, my jaw was working, but no sound came from between my lips. _Two weeks?_ That was _insane!_ How could I have been out for that long? Was it even possible? How would I eat or drink? Well, that last question was answered by the IV tube that was taped securely to my wrist, most likely pumping nutrients through my veins. BUT STILL! Apparently Elli found that this was a good time to explain the situation; considering I was at a loss for words and all. "Yuko brought you here, having had to half carry you. She said you kept lapsing between conscious, subconscious and just plain unconscious. She stated that when you two were walking home in the forest from the mines, a venomous snake bit you and tore at your arm a bit. We were able to extract the poison for the most part, but we weren't able to do much about the flesh wound but pray to the Harvest Goddess that it healed soon. Progress in average, but you'll probably be able to leave here in a few days. We want to keep you here to run a few tests."

See, I was a little lost after "snake". I could have _sworn_ I got attacked by something else! I know it was! I know it! I was attacked by a… A… What was it? Why couldn't I remember? I racked my brain, trying to remember the events in my head; Yuko and I went to the mines, and we were attacked by something… No. No, that wasn't right. We walked out of the mines when it got dark… And when we were going through the forest, a snake jumped out of a random bush and attacked. Yeah! Yeah, that must be it!

Though, I couldn't shake the feeling there was a gap or replacement in my memories. Even though I continued telling myself I was attacked by some random snake, something at the back of my head was nagging at me like a mother, telling me that wasn't what happened at all. But if it wasn't… then what _did _happen? It's not like anyone could have wiped my memories clean, and given me new ones, right? No, that was just out of the question.

I briefly heard Elli's voice ask if I was feeling alright, and I snapped out of my daze. "I uh… Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It's just hard to believe that I was out for so long," I replied with a sigh, rubbing my still aching temples. Though I slowly brought my hands down, and I could feel how wide my eyes were, and how parched my throat got at my next thought. "Two weeks… I was out for two weeks… Work… Oh Goddess, the old man is gonna kill me!"

By the time I finally got out of the so called "hospital", it was Winter fourth, which meant I missed over half of Autumn. To say the least, I wasn't over joyed about that; after all, I quite enjoyed seeing the changing leaves every year; they had only started turning into their flame-like colours of red, orange, yellow and some purple before I was hospitalized. In most cases, I would be able to see them now, but alas, the snow has already come and blanketed the town.

And by this point, my arm was bandaged up and in a sling, considering it still hurt like a bitch to move very much. Of course, my good head was rubbing my temple when Gramps was yelling at me. He had been at it since the moment I had stepped through the blacksmith's. Thankfully, after about three minutes, I was able to tune out most of the obnoxious sound which was his voice, and was able to let my mind wander. Though after the five hundred year lecture, I had to be brought back to reality when I felt a huge hand slap me upside the head. "What the hell was that for?" I snapped, rubbing the back of my head with my good head.

"If you were paying attention boy," the old man started, giving me a dirty look, which I returned tenfold, "you would know I was asking you to get Yuko for me."

"What am I? You're slave?" I asked, rolling my eyes, but turning and heading to the back where Yuko's office resided; I didn't want to stay by him long enough for him to be able to smack me again, and quadruple my aching head. Not to mention, I didn't want to hear him start a lecture about how I shouldn't talk back to the elderly. Giving a sigh, I pounded on the door loudly, in hope to scare Yuko, and opened the door, grinning at the sight I received. The damn woman was fumbling with her newest work of "art", trying to keep it safe from falling to the ground, but it seemed to slip from her grasp and clatter to the floor. It looked to be a pendant. Well, it _had_ looked to be a pendant. Now… Well, now it looked like shattered ore.

Crossing my arms in amusement, I leaned again the side of the doorframe, quirking an eyebrow cheekily at the dark haired girl, who was attempting to drill holes into my scalp with her eyes. Oh ho ho. She wasn't impressed. She wasn't impressed in the least. But we all know that it wasn't _my _fault that she was clumsy with her hands, and dropped such a _valuable_ piece. "What?" she hissed, venom and force because such a simple word. It was hard to keep myself from laughing.

"Gramps wants you," I replied, making sure the tone of my voice was cheerful and innocent; I wouldn't want her thinking that _I_ had something to do with that pendant breaking. Really, it was blasphemy to say I did anything! I hadn't even been _near_ Yuko when it fell! Well, that would be my excuse anyways.

I watched with meek amusement as she tried piercing me with her glare before standing and shouldering passed me, trying to ram me further into the doorframe. Oh. Scary. Someone half my size trying to push my aside. When I chuckled at the pathetic action, however, I soon felt something drill in my stomach sharply. That something being Yuko's bony elbow. With a small glare, I totally forgot about the fact she saved me (then again, I saved her first, so whatever), and rubbed my now stinging abdomen. She may be a half pint, but she could really hurt a guy if she wanted to.

See, in most cases, I would ignore whatever Gramps had to say to Yuko, and just get to work but today… Well, the old man was already pissed off at me. Not to mention it's like I could do much of anything, since it was my dominant arm in the sling. Plus really, to be a smithy, you really needed to be able to use both arms one way or another. Which is why I decided to see what was up, in hopes Gramps would yell at her and fire her for some unknown reason.

Yeah. Right. Like _that_ was gonna happen.

Despite my small pinches of hopes that that was why he was calling her out, it was nothing of the like. When I peeked around, making no effort to try and hide the fact I was snooping (it's not like I could pretend to work or something), I saw the old man giving Shorty a small box, roughly the size my fist. Confusion was evident on her face, just as much as I assumed it showed on mine. What the hell was this about? Of course, the following words were words I had longed to hear directed at me for a long time. Well, from Gramps' lips at least.

"Happy Birthday Yuko," he said with a smile I assumed –and prayed- would crack his face. I didn't even bother to stay long enough to see what he had gotten for the jeweller; at those three words alone, I was slamming the door behind me, walking blindly with my shoulder hunched and I could feel the scowl on my face.

What the hell.

_I_ was his grandchild, but did he ever give _me_ praise? Did he ever get a gift for _my_ birthday? Did he ever give _me_ a break?

Did he ever come up to me once in my life, and wish me a happy birthday?

Of course not. Why would he? I was a useless piece of crap and a burden anyways.

The sound of light footstep behind me gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. I didn't even have to turn around to know who was stalking me; it was pretty obvious. I decided to ignore her; I didn't need her damn pity. If Yuko hadn't ever come to Town, I'd never have all these problems. Maybe if she weren't around, Gramps would actually look my way once in a blue moon. I rolled my eyes at that last one; the only time he had, and will ever, look my way was when he was lecturing me on things I did wrong. I can't even remember the last time where he said "good job Gray". Hell, I can barely remember the last time he called me Gray. It was always Gabriel (which he only used when he was pissed off) coming from his lips, and oh how I detested that name.

I would have continued thinking about how much I detested my name, rethinking all the reasons why, but I was brought back to reality when I felt a sharp kick to the back of my legs. I fell and cussed, my legs stinging from the sudden hit. I instantly looked up and glared at Yuko. Well that was a change; for once, _I_ had to look up to _her_. Go figure. "What the hell was the for?" I hissed, rubbing the area which received the most impact, and would surely have a bruise.

"Don't you know it's rude to ignore someone?" she said smugly, crossing my arms. And if I didn't have a thing against hitting girls (though I had made a few exceptions so I could slap her upside the head a few times), I would have beat the shit out of her and wiped that smirk clean from her face.

"Don't _you_ know it's rude to abuse innocent civilians?" I shot back, making sure there was no mercy in my voice. "And above all, someone who is _handicapped_; really, there should be a law against that." When I felt I would be able to stand again without falling over, that's exactly what I did, grasping one of many parts of a fence that seemed to weave itself all over town. When I started walking again, I stuff my chilled hand into my pocket once more, dearly wishing I could do the same with my other hand. Yeah. Like that was possible with it being in a sling and all.

It took a bit of walking for me to click in and realize the stupid woman, who for some odd reason kept walking with me, was insulting me. "Idiot. Stupid. Retard. Doofus. Imbecile. Moron." For the first while, I could have cared less. But the more I heard of her voice, the more it got on my nerves. I finally stopped in my tracks, and swung around, none too happy. "Could you just leave me the fuck alone? You're annoying voice isn't making my damn headache go away!"

The woman stopped short at that, looking up at me. Her face told me she wasn't sure how she was supposed to reply to that. Be sad? Angry? Follow him anyways? She was just too easy to read. It seemed Yuko decided to go with sarcasm, and slight offence, "Who the hell pissed in your cornflakes this morning?"

Where was a wall when you needed to punch one? "Look," I said, attempting to keep my voice steady; a difficult task for someone who was labeled with "anger management issues". Like me, obviously. "I don't give a fuck about you. I don't care about you in any way, shape, nor form. Hell, I somewhat _detest_ you. Almost close to _hating_ you," though I must input here that I actually did hate her, "so take your little box of surprise from the old man, and skip merrily home already. I'm sure Ann and the others are waiting for you, to show you the best time of your life, you little fucking two inch imp."

I turned my back again, and started walking up the path towards the library; my one place of peace and quiet, where I could shake off reality and actually forget about my piece of hell of a life.

In only a few moments, I heard footsteps coming up behind me once more; this time, I was ready to be kicked again. Of course, I wasn't ready for her somehow getting in front of me, and punching me square in the jaw.

"… You punched me," I stated in utter shock, holding my aching jaw with my good hand.

"No fucking shit you asshole. Go dig a hole and fucking die, if you will. Actually, I'll make that my wish today when I blow you the candles on my _birthday_ cake. I'll wish on a star, and pray to the Goddess too if that gets rid of your ugly mug." Speechless, I just stared. I had nothing to say to that. _Nothing. _Do you know how _weird_ it is for _me_ to be at a loss for words?

Without another word from either of us (though a mouthful was said from the glare she sent my way), Yuko turned on her heel, walking towards the Inn.

Good job Gray. Good job.

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**A/n:**** So. I didn't exactly go by my word and get this up last Saturday like I said I would, but HEY. LOOK ON THE BRIGHTSIDE. At least it didn't take two months to get up, and it's actually a longer chapter than the last one ;D **

**Also, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm keeping the chapters a fair bit shorter than I used to back in the day. But hey, you can't blame me; I'm so busy as it is, and it' about to get ten times worse on Monday when I have more rehearsals than ever for that play I'm in, not to mention I'm planning on joining the badminton team. And man. The content in this story is drifting further and further from the original every scene. I haven't decided if that's a bad or good thing yet xD I find it amusing how much the insults have changed though. Quite a bit more cussing in this version xD**


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